NEWS: The epidemic of loneliness

Posted on 24/09/2017

Loneliness is an epidemic that is likely to affect more people than
ever before, says a new report from the Campaign to End Loneliness. Research
from the campaign shows that 9 in 10 people believe that loneliness in older
age is more likely than ever, with over half of British adults admitting that
loneliness is difficult.

The problem is that most people don’t like to admit that they feel
lonely, as they feel that this would place too much of a burden on others. 76%
of those over the age of 65 who were surveyed said that they wouldn’t admit to
being lonely, and yet an equal amount of people aged 16-24 want to help address
the loneliness crisis.

The National Lottery funded Campaign to End Loneliness is working to
help inspire those people that want to help to get involved in their local
communities to help combat the problem of loneliness. And it is a problem, because
being lonely can lead to both physical and mental health issues, as well as
increase the risk of health issues being detected early on. Some later-life
conditions, such as dementia, can be prevented or delayed through social
contact, taking part in hobbies and staying active – all of which is harder for
those who feel isolated and alone. Loneliness is, therefore, linked to a higher
risk of dementia, as well as earlier death.

The London School of Economics (LSE) has released a review that shows
the financial cost of loneliness too. It suggests that the epidemic costs
£6,000 per person in health costs, and for every £1 invested now in tackling
the problem of loneliness, there is an expected return of £3 in health costs over
five years. When you consider that there are 1.2 million chronically lonely
older people in the UK, and half a million older people go at least five or six
days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone (according to data from Age UK
in 2016), it is not hard to see the scale of the problem that we are facing.

Laura Alcock-Ferguson, the Executive Director of
the Campaign to End Loneliness, says: “There is much to do to overcome
loneliness. The huge stigma surrounding it is clear, which is slowing down efforts
to combat it. This is isolating millions of older people - and with our ageing
population, the epidemic of loneliness is growing fast. The fact that over
three-quarters of older people will not admit to feeling lonely is deeply
worrying. The health impacts of loneliness are devastating; it is worse for you
than obesity and as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Most worrying,
however, is the popular view that loneliness in older age is more likely than
ever – that loneliness is inevitable. But, with two thirds of people wanting to
address the loneliness epidemic – and with compelling evidence that it pays to
tackle loneliness – we know that we can challenge this. Loneliness is not
inevitable.”